Camelot

The horse Camelot is just as mythical as King Arthur's hometown. Born in 2009, Camelot was the son of the famous Montjeu, the 1999 L'Arc winner. Shortly after he was born, the horse was sent to Ballydoyle to be trained by the legendary Aidan O'Brien.

 
A two-year-old Camelot made his debut in 2011 at Leopardstown. Despite this being his maiden race, he was named 1/3 favourite to win, which he did by two lengths. Immediately after this race, Camelot was installed as favourite for the 2012 Derby. His second appearance of the season came at the Racing Post Trophy in Doncaster, which he again won and, as a result, his derby odds were cut to 3/1.

The hype that surrounded Camelot coming into the 2012 season was monumental as he entered both the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby. He actually started his season at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas. Again ridden by Joseph O'Brien, the horse was priced at 15/8 favourite, and he won by a neck from French Fifteen.

After the Guineas the Derby became the main focus for the horse. Camelot entered the Derby as 8/13 favourite and in front of 130,000 spectators, including the Queen, he did not disappoint; he won the race by five lengths. Following the Derby win, speculation was rife that Camelot would become the first horse since Nijinsky (1970) to win the Triple Crown, as the horse was expected to win the St Ledger. Camelot finished the summer season with victory at the Irish Derby.

The horse was then rested until the St Ledger. 32,000 fans flocked to the Doncaster track to see if the 2/5 favourite could make history but sadly it was not to be as Encke won by three-quarters of a length. Camelot made his foray into the continent when he entered the historic L'Arc de Triomphe in October. The race represented the first time that Camelot had a jockey who wasn't Joseph O' Brien. Frankie Dettori rode the horse home in seventh. Shortly after the race, Camelot was taken ill with colic, a pain in a horse's abdomen.

He appeared to make a quick recovery and returned in 2013 but did not look like the same imperial force that had dominated the tracks in 2012. Camelot was retired on the 14th October 2013, trainer Aidan O'Brien stating that the horse had never truly recovered from his bout with colic. As a stud horse you can expect his legacy to live on, just as Montjeu's legacy continued through him.

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